I’m always looking for fun and easy ways to entertain (and impress!) friends and family, and not surprisingly, for me it usually involves food. One of my favorite things to serve before a meal is a crunchy baguette and a great dipping sauce or spread. So, you can imagine my delight when our home economist, Patty Mastracco, recently introduced us to divine little take on the traditional bread and olive oil appetizer. It’s called dukkah.
Dukkah is an Egyptian dry mixture of finely chopped pistachios, seeds and spices. She told us when she serves it at her own parties that everyone raves about it and insists on the recipe. So, of course, the SacFoodies did, too! After a few tastings in the office, I am so glad that we did. Dukkah is served by setting two separate bowls of olive oil and the dukkah mixture and then having guests dip bread into olive oil and then in the spices. It’s a fun and addicting appetizer.
Leftover or extra Dukkah can also be saved in an air-tight container and used later to crust chicken or fish and can even be sprinkled on salads or vegetables for added flavor. Below is the recipe for Pistachio Dukkah – enjoy!
Pistachio Dukkah
“This is one of my favorite entertaining recipes. It’s easy to make ahead, and is totally addictive. It’s also great to make a big batch and package in small tins for gift giving.” – Patty Mastracco
1/4 cup sesame seeds
3 tablespoons coriander seeds
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
2 cups roasted, salted pistachios
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste
Rustic bread cubes
High-quality extra virgin olive oil
Place sesame seeds in a small skillet. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until golden brown and fragrant. Remove from heat and repeat with coriander and cumin seeds. Let cool, then place in a blender or food processor with pistachios; process until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Transfer to a decorative bowl and serve with bread cubes and olive oil. Dip bread cubes into oil, then into dukkah. May be stored for up to one month in a tightly covered container.
Kimberly Michelle says
I think I’ll be trying this very shortly 🙂 Thanks so much for the idea!
Beatrice Douglas says
Since relocating from Melbourne to Townsville, (Queensland), I have not been able to source any of my more interesting ingredients for cooking and pistachio dukkah is one of them. Melbourne is certainly a foodies heaven but now at least of I have one of my favourite foods. Many thanks and happy cooking.